During the past 11 years, Will Evans has become a force of nature in Dallas, transforming its formerly sparse literary scene into a humming nexus of creativity and connection. “When I arrived, there were no literary publishers and only a few bookstores,” says Evans, the CEO of successful nonprofit publishing house and bookstore Deep Vellum. “There was a readership and several literary arts organizations, but no one had connected all of the dots.”
Initially, Evans was inspired by the city’s ethos and its familiar slogan, “Big things happen here.” You can see that Texas-size spirit in Deep Vellum’s prodigious output, which includes about 1,000 volumes in 70 languages—making it the largest publisher of translated literature in the country. Beyond the publishing arm, the Deep Vellum bookstore has hosted over 700 events, including readings, comedy, and live music. Recently, the space has doubled in size for its offices, operations, and expanded programming.
Enjoying this article?The company’s efforts to champion lesser-known authors has drawn the national spotlight. One example: Norwegian writer Jon Fosse, who won the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature in 2023. Even though the author’s career spans four decades, only a handful of his 30 books of prose were published in the U.S. Deep Vellum amended that starting in 2020 when it acquired the Dalkey Archive Press, the holder of the rights to several of Fosse’s titles. Evans has also been instrumental in establishing and funding the Poet Laureate of Dallas in collaboration with the Dallas Public Library and the Office of Arts and Culture. A professor at Southern Methodist University, Mag Gabbert was announced as the second poet laureate in April and will serve a two-year term through 2026.
At every turn, Evans continues to tout Dallas and its burgeoning literary arts scene. “We are a reader-centric organization,” Evans says. “We want to keep inviting more readers into our larger conversation.” deepvellum.com
